Final approval of the school's candidacy came last week from the Geneva-based organization, said assistant principal Tiffany Ewell. Some 300 freshmen and sophomores at the school are preparing for the rigorous program, which takes place during junior and senior years.

Five schools in Hillsborough County — King, Robinson, Hillsborough, Strawberry Crest and the private Carrollwood Day School — now offer the program at the high school level. It's also offered for younger students at Williams Middle and MacFarlane Park and Lincoln elementary schools.

At the high school level, the IB program includes college-prep courses in math, science, language, history, service learning, a full-year research project and the Theory of Knowledge class.

For more information, visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us/magnet or ibo.org.

Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3400.